Podcasts are a valuable content creation tool; with the right strategy, they can be leveraged to drive new leads and create business opportunities. However, in an era where almost everyone seems to have a podcast, it’s easy to question whether launching one for your B2B brand is a worthwhile endeavor. We interviewed Jason Bradwell, founder of the podcast marketing agency B2B Better, to discover how B2B companies can utilize podcasts as an effective marketing tool.
Using Podcast Marketing in B2B
One of the most productive ways to use podcasts in a B2B context is to augment an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy. Inviting prospective clients to be guests on a company podcast can be a strategic move to build relationships and initiate conversations, without the pressure of a sales pitch. This approach is an effective way to open doors to new business opportunities and strengthen existing relationships. However, it’s important to avoid turning the podcast into a thinly veiled sales tactic. As Bradwell notes, some companies appear to launch podcasts as “a Trojan horse to get potential customers onto the phone so they can pitch them. And that’s a horrible experience for everybody.”
Bradwell also highlights event activation as something many companies neglect. “We’re investing money in trade shows. How, as a marketing team, can we be generating more ROI off the back of those?” Within any marketing strategy utilizing podcasting, trade events are a fantastic opportunity for relevant content creation. “Where else are you going to have such a concentration of potential podcast guests in one location that’s going to fuel your content pipeline for the next three to six months?”
And podcasting content isn’t just useful to marketing teams. “We can take that content and repackage it for our sales team,” Bradwell explains. By interviewing guests who represent the target customer and discussing the challenges they experience, podcast content can be repurposed to help sales teams in their prospecting efforts. It provides them with the information to be able to reach out to similar potential customers and say, “Hey, we spoke to Joe Bloggs over here. He talked about a lot of challenges that we’re sure you’re experiencing as well. Is there a conversation to be had?”
A podcast can also be a great way to increase the exposure of a company’s executives and grow their profiles. By positioning them as thought leaders and experts in the industry, the brand they represent will reap the benefits in turn. As Bradwell explains, the best thought leaders are “the people within our business. The people within our organization who are on the front line, solving these challenges.” By sharing their perspective on how to solve problems “better, quicker, cheaper than any of the hundreds of other competitors that are doing the same thing”, thought leaders become the ultimate salespeople for whatever service or solution the company provides.
The Importance of Defining Success in B2B Podcasting
The key to successfully using podcasting as a marketing tool lies not in simply following the trend, but in strategically leveraging podcasts to achieve specific outcomes. In order to achieve this, Bradwell emphasizes the importance of defining success from the outset. Many companies, he observes, jump into B2B podcasting without giving this much thought; asking questions about what microphone to buy or how long each episode should be, rather than the all-important “What outcome am I trying to drive?”
Whether the goal is to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or enhance the profiles of executives, understanding the company’s desired outcomes is essential to developing a strategy that will ensure the podcast’s longevity and effectiveness.
Is B2B podcasting for everybody? “Absolutely not,” says Bradwell. “There are a lot of companies out there doing podcasts that should probably be investing their marketing dollars in other channels.” It all depends on the outcomes the company is trying to achieve, and whether a podcast is really the best strategy to get them there.
Measuring Success in Podcast Marketing: Reach vs. Resonance
When it comes to measuring the success of a podcast, both reach and resonance metrics can be useful indicators.
Reach metrics, such as views, downloads and impressions, indicate how far and wide the podcast is being distributed.
Resonance metrics, on the other hand, reveal how engaging and valuable the content is to the audience – its “stickiness”. These can be harder to track, including metrics like average consumption (how much of the podcast people are actually listening to) and qualitative indicators such as comments, shares, DMs and mentions.
While people typically want to start with reach metrics because they are easier to track, Bradwell strongly recommends prioritizing resonance over reach in the early stages, aiming for a 75% average consumption rate. This focus ensures the podcast is delivering meaningful content that holds the audience’s attention: “People care about what it is that we’re trying to say, because they’re listening to the vast majority of it. If we’re getting 10,000 downloads but they’re only listening to 10% of the podcast, is that actually worth it?”
In terms of reach metrics, Bradwell advises shooting for 480 podcast downloads within the first seven days of publishing in order to reach the top 10% of podcasts globally; 120 downloads within the same timeframe would be enough to put the podcast in the top 25%. “It’s not that hard to get there, really, with the right distribution strategy.”
Effective Podcast Distribution Strategies
Distribution is a critical aspect of podcast success. Bradwell stresses that simply publishing episodes on podcast directories isn’t enough: “You need to invest time and attention in repurposing the podcast content across platforms like YouTube and YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, wherever you know that your audience is spending time.” In order to maximise the podcast’s reach, he advises “really squeezing the juice” out of podcast content in terms of value creation across different channels.
Within the podcast directories themselves, Bradwell emphasizes the importance of optimizing show notes for SEO and including transcripts for better organic discovery. “Treat your show notes much like you would treat a blog trying to rank in Google. Give it the time and attention it deserves, rather than just leaving it as a kind of afterthought.”
Guests featured in podcast interviews are another significant channel for increasing reach, in that they can expose the podcast to their own audiences. “Make it as easy as possible for them to share it,” Bradwell advises, recommending companies provide guests with packs containing promotional assets, as well as instructions around when to post, how to post and who to tag.
He highlights the importance of maintaining communication with guests and offering to provide anything else they might need to facilitate sharing, such as different clips, for example: “It would be a tragedy if you got a really high-profile guest on that could really open up new doors for new audiences on your show and they simply didn’t post the clips you provided because they didn’t like them, right?”
Is B2B Podcasting Worth It?
Podcasting may not be the best investment for every B2B company – but for those with the budget, time and resources to define a clear strategy and see it through to fruition, a well-executed podcast can be a valuable marketing tool.
Effective B2B podcasting requires a strategic approach, effective distribution strategies, and a focus on resonance as well as reach; when these are achieved, a podcast can be a great way to build brand awareness, generate leads, and support sales efforts.